How to use GnuPG (gpg or gpg2) to generate a PGP key that isn't protected by a passphrase

Issue

• How can I create a PGP keypair with gpg or gpg2 that can be used for decryption and signing without requiring a passphrase?

• Can GnuPG create private keys that aren't encrypted?

• Can GPG remove the password from a private key so that the key can be used without any prompting?

• Cannot get gpg keys without a passphrase to work. I need to be able to automate gpg encryption of files and decryption without a passphrase.